The new year will bring with it a host of complex diets, but weight loss could be as simple as eating more carbs.

Scientists have discovered that eating more fibre could help trim our waistlines and combat obesity.

Fibre can be found in whole grains, fruit, vegetables and legumes, and it is recommended we consume around 30g a day.

However, most Britons only mange to consume around 15g, and this could be causing weight gain.

A new study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe revealed that fibre intake could affect weight, as well as blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and bowel health.

They point out that the food group could be as important to a healthy diet as counting calories.

This is because fibre helps promote gut health by being consumed as fuel by ‘good’ bacteria during digestion.

The researchers discovered that low-fibre diets led to weight gain, high blood sugar, and insulin resistance in mice.

Previous research has linked low amounts of fibre to an increased risk of inflammatory bowel diseases and diabetes.

“Diets that lack fibre alter the bacterial composition and bacterial metabolism, which in turn causes defects to the inner mucus layer…something that triggers inflammation and ultimately metabolic disease," said Gunnar C. Hansson, a study author from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

In May, experts revealed that a high-fibre diet could ease painful knee osteoarthritis.

After looking at the diets of 4,051 people, they discovered that a high cereal fibre intake reduced symptoms.

Eating more fibre for weight loss goes against the philosophy of many new year diet regimes which recommend low carbohydrate intake.

These include the ketogenic diet which encourages people to fill up on protein and fats instead.

A number of weight loss diets were recently criticised by the British Dietetics Association, including raw veganism and the Pioppi diet.

Obesity is a growing problem in the UK with recent NHS figures estimating that 27 per cent of adults are obese.